The Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays open up their season series on Tuesday night at Rogers Centre.
The pregame narrative: Toronto lost three, then won three, then lost four. Now the Jays have won four in a row, and a win tonight would mark their longest win streak of the season. Last year, Toronto went 4-9 against Tampa Bay.
I’m backing fading Daulton Varsho in my Blue Jays best bet vs. the Rays on May 13.
Blue Jays best bet vs. Rays
Best Bet: Varsho under 0.5 hits (+105)
Varsho’s 2025 sample size is still quite small after he started the year on the injured list. But the early returns have been mixed at best.
The stocky outfielder is 6-for-31 (.194), going hitless in five of eight starts.
Varsho hasn’t had enough plate appearances to be a qualified hitter. But if he did, his .197 xBA would rank near the bottom of MLB, while his 22.2% barrel rate would rank near the top.
It’s an odd dichotomy, to say the least. But keep in mind that Varsho also isn’t putting the ball in play much. Half of his 36 PAs have resulted in a strikeout (15) or walk (three).
Facing Tampa Bay right-hander Shane Baz, the left-hitting Varsho should have a platoon advantage.
But Baz is holding LHHs to a .194 average this year, and Varsho is just a .215 hitter in his career against RHPs.
Key stat: Varsho is hitless in four of his past five games, going 3-for-21 in that span.
Rays vs. Blue Jays best bet made at 12:21 p.m. ET on 05/13/2025.
Jordan enjoys writing data-driven game previews and analysis articles — especially for MLB markets or NFL/NBA props. And as a proud Ohio University grad, he’ll always have a soft spot for college sports (especially if the Bobcats are involved). Previous stops include mlb.com, Sportsnet and The Athletic.